Turkish Seafarers Await Help in Tunisia

Chief Officer Recep Çalışkan, serving on board the M/V Lotus, told 7Deniz Haber that although his contract expired, he has still not been able to leave the vessel he joined approximately 10 months ago.

According to Çalışkan, the vessel departed from Borusan Port in Gemlik about 120 days ago after loading cargo bound for Nordenham Port in Germany. However, during the voyage, a steering failure occurred off the coast of Tunisia, forcing the vessel to be towed to the Port of Bizerte.

Çalışkan stated that following the incident, a legal process began between the shipowner and the Tunisian authorities. During this period, no crew changes were carried out, leaving the seafarers stranded on board.

The crew also claimed that they have experienced serious delays in salary payments. They said that an application has been filed with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to protect their rights and that the process has been ongoing for approximately two months.

The Turkish crew also stated that they had contacted the Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Tunisia, but that no concrete progress has yet been made regarding their return home.

Living Conditions on Board Are Getting Worse Every Day

Recep Çalışkan said that there are currently three Turkish crew members on board and described the humanitarian conditions they are facing:

"As of today, we have been waiting at the Port of Bizerte in Tunisia for 110 days. The air conditioning on board is not working. The temperature in our cabins reaches as high as 45°C day and night. We have great difficulty sleeping. Our food supplies are very limited, and we cannot eat properly. We are losing weight day by day and are psychologically exhausted. Our only wish is to reunite with our families and return to our country."

The Turkish seafarers said they are seeking support from the relevant authorities to resolve their situation and ensure their safe return to Türkiye.